topic Re: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 review in Device Insiderhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397778#M369
<P>ah, I see. It seems underwater photography still isn't quite there yet. this is a more broad and i guess subjective question, what is your opinion/thoughts on Sony's strategy of releasing flagship phones? Their current cycle is 6 months, meaning that every 6 month a new flagship is announced. The Z3 is marginally better than the Z2 released earlier this year,, would you recommend others to look at a z2 to save money or spend a bit more and get the z3?</P>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:51:48 GMTbill00142014-11-22T11:51:48ZMobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396776#M342
<P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11391i851FF041ECE50A6E/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="cs.png" title="cs.png" /></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Welcome to the&nbsp;latest Mobile Insider review. This time, <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp;and <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;are putting the <A href="http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/mobiles-on-a-plan/sony-xperia-z3/index.htm" target="_self">Sony Xperia Z3</A>&nbsp;through its paces.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>The Z3 is the latest phone from Sony, boasting:</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<UL>
<LI>Waterproof to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes in freshwater</LI>
<LI>20.7 megapixel camera for stunning 4K video</LI>
<LI>5.2 inch Full HD 1080p Triluminos™ display</LI>
<LI>Long life battery lasts even longer with Sony STAMINA Mode</LI>
</UL>
<P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11393iA09A84CA074E7FBE/image-size/medium?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="ff.PNG" title="ff.PNG" /></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><STRONG><EM>What would you like to know about the phone? </EM></STRONG></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><STRONG><EM>Please ask our insiders in the comments below and they will tell all. (Hint hint – if you join the discussion this time we will consider you to be in our next round of Mobile Insiders <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" /></EM></STRONG><STRONG><EM>&nbsp;)</EM></STRONG></P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:18:41 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396776#M342katroberts2014-11-18T05:18:41ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396787#M343
<P>Hi, I've got two big questions about the Xperia Z3...</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Firstly, how does the camera perform in practice? Much was made of the camera in the Xperia Z1 (my current phone), but I was honestly underwhelmed by it. Despite all the megapixels and apparently high quality lens, it was easily outperformed by other flagship phones at the time.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Secondly, how long does the battery last with <EM>normal</EM> use?</P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:30:50 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396787#M343bkbooth112014-11-18T04:30:50ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396790#M344
Camera is very important I me. I have small kids and need a camera that is fast and easy to use. The iphone cameras have been great in that regard but I am finding the megapixels a little low for 2014. How is the camera performance on the Z3?Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:35:16 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396790#M344dazzman552014-11-18T04:35:16ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396797#M345
<P>We recently had the pleasure of testing the Z3 in the office here at Telstra Digital so I thought I would start of the discussion by sharing my impression of the phone.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>I must admit I've always been an Apple girl and never had an Android. I love the aesthetic appeal of Apple products and considered myself too used to their features and system to ever switch to an Android.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Enter Sony Z3. I was surprised at how much I liked it</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><STRONG>The Pros</STRONG></P>
<UL>
<LI>Suuuuper easy to set up. As I have a gmail address (doesnt everyone?) my contacts were imported pronto</LI>
<LI>Loved that it already had apps installed so I could start using it straight away</LI>
<LI>Display was super crisp. Noticeably so</LI>
<LI>Photos were a.m.a.z.i.n.g - for a Insta addict like me this is a big positive. Loved the different features in camera mode were easily accessible&nbsp;</LI>
</UL>
<P><STRONG>The Cons</STRONG></P>
<UL>
<LI>Lack of a home button jarred me a little at first</LI>
<LI>I couldn't work out how to take photos of the screen. After looking it up, I found it clucky.</LI>
<LI>I found it a bit large to handle - as I'm used to the iPhone I would probably be more comfortable with the Compact</LI>
</UL>
<P>All in all, it's a great phone and I was very impressed. Maybe enough to nudge me over the edge of converting from my iPhone. Now I'm keen to trail the other Androids out there - <EM>any suggestions for me for comparisons sake?</EM></P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 04:52:38 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396797#M345katroberts2014-11-18T04:52:38ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396800#M346
<P>Hi Guys, I'm also interested in the photo abilities of this unit.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I'm always taking selfies and of course want to look at my best for my fans, don't want any pink spots or anything like that, so let's see <STRONG>your selfies</STRONG> and how they shape up&nbsp;against mine on my Samsung Galaxy Note 1.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="Signature.gif" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11275i9E71C0C2AEF92C86/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Signature.gif" /></P><P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11394i9F8B0275F111AC52/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="Selfie.jpg" width="331" height="254" title="Selfie.jpg" /></P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:02:08 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396800#M346DEANJA2014-11-18T05:02:08ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396802#M347
@ katroberts 2 inch display and 7 mp camera? its not an iphone, where do they find you guys?Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:05:51 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396802#M347beetle842014-11-18T05:05:51ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396808#M348
<P>copy and paste fail - thanks for pointing out, thats been fixed</P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 05:21:32 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396808#M348katroberts2014-11-18T05:21:32ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396822#M349
I have a z2, recently updated with the same features as a z3, what does the z3 have that the z2 doesnt? (Honest question, im curious)Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:03:13 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396822#M349beetle842014-11-18T06:03:13ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396833#M350
As soon as I've received my device I'll be in and answering any and all (reasonable) questions that are posted here, so please keep them coming <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" />Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:24:40 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396833#M350Kalak2014-11-18T06:24:40ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396835#M351
Define reasonable... <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER><BR />Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:27:38 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396835#M351beetle842014-11-18T06:27:38ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396837#M352
<BLOCKQUOTE><HR /><LI-USER uid="40002"></LI-USER> wrote:<BR />Define reasonable... <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER><BR /><HR /></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Yes I agree, <SPAN style="text-decoration: underline;"><STRONG>define</STRONG></SPAN> reasonable?</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="Signature.gif" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11275i9E71C0C2AEF92C86/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Signature.gif" /></P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:39:18 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396837#M352DEANJA2014-11-18T06:39:18ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396839#M353
<P>For example, if someone was to ask how it performs when at the peak of Everest, or how it fairs after a 300ft drop onto concrete, then I would not answer those.<BR /><BR />Common sense. However this is the internet, so if I was to have put any and all questions, then there would be someone (likely you Jeff) who would take it too far <img id="smileywink" class="emoticon emoticon-smileywink" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" alt="Smiley Wink" title="Smiley Wink" /></P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:43:03 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396839#M353Kalak2014-11-18T06:43:03ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396842#M354
<P>Now I would never do that, BUT, I am looking forward to the underwater shots or the selfies in the shower when you test the waterproofing of the phone.... <img id="smileysurprised" class="emoticon emoticon-smileysurprised" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-surprised.gif" alt="Smiley Surprised" title="Smiley Surprised" /> <img id="smileywink" class="emoticon emoticon-smileywink" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" alt="Smiley Wink" title="Smiley Wink" /> <img id="smileyvery-happy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyvery-happy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Very Happy" title="Smiley Very Happy" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="Signature.gif" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11275i9E71C0C2AEF92C86/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Signature.gif" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P>Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:47:26 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/396842#M354DEANJA2014-11-18T06:47:26ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397018#M355
I'm also a Z2 user, having upgraded from a Galaxy S3 4G I'm very happy. But now I see the Z3 and it's even more advanced features I'm having early adopters remorse lol.<BR /><BR />I'd be keen to know how the real world battery life stacks up. I'm currently getting around 18hrs battery life with between 2-3hrs screen on time. This is whilst on mobile data all day between 7:30am and 5:30pm then wifi when at home. I live and work in a 4G area but turn it off because it drains the battery so much. I'd be interested to know if 4G has as great an impact on battery as it does to the Z2.Wed, 19 Nov 2014 03:34:22 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397018#M355Mickb832014-11-19T03:34:22ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397191#M356
<P>So its been almost 24hrs since I first recieved the device... Its only early days and im still getting my head around the Android world, but im slowely getting there.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I thought I would just quickly jot down some initial thoughts of the device.. Once I have a few days I will then start making detailed comparisons of Camera etc..&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Here is my disclaimer... I am an Apple Fanboy.. No doubt.. Its not just a follow the leader thing.. I spent a good 15 years as a Microsoft person.. I got to a point where I was fed up with the constant repairs, and support for those computers.. So I switched to Mac and it all went from there.. So this is my first Non iPhone since the first one was released here. In saying all of that however, I am open minded.. I do appreciate a good quality product regardless of brand. So for these future discussions, lets look at it that Im an apple fan looking for a reason to change to something new.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>This may be a bit of a timeline of my thoughts but probably the best way at this point to give my opinion.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>- Packaging: Yes we throw it away in the end, and yes, Kat had already played with it before I got my hands on it, but you really see from the outset how far behind these other manufacturers are against Apple. With an iPhone, the packaging is firm, its solid, the box is nearly always in a perfect shape. The Sony.. It just felt cheap.. The box was starting to stretch, there was no excitement about opening the box. And when I got inside it was packaging.. nothing clever..&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Hardware: There is no doubting that this phone is pretty sexy. It feels solid. Its nice to hold. Coming from an iPhone 5 its very different to hold naturally.. trying to find the centre point of weight is different.. That place where you can rest your phone and type without needing to actually hold it. &nbsp;Im constantly concerned im going to drop it but thats life with a bigger phone I guess.&nbsp;</P><P>Inserting the Sim Card was dissapointing. Once you find out where the tray is on an iPhone, its pretty simple.. But on the Sony i was concerned I was about to break it.. Sticking something into the phone to then try and hook the tray to pull it out was all a bit concerning for me.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>The Software: There is no doubting with the Android software, there are so many potentials for greatness. You can do a lot more background activity work and still have a good idea of whats going on. And there is also no doubting this phone comes stacked with Software for you to achieve your goals. But this is I believe Androids biggest fall down. There is SO MUCH software on it. And multiple things to do the same thing. Why?? This is what I believe really sets iOS aside from the start.. It comes with the basics, and then as your knowledge and needs expand, then you can expand through the app store. But with Android... its basically here is everything.. now go learn it.. For me, who without blowing my own trumpet, generally knows whats going on, even this blew my mind and gave me a headache. Giving this to someone who wasnt all that Savy, I think would make them hate their phone, and make them question there own intelligence. Its way too much too soon! Just to note I switched to the Google now Launcher over Sony's. It just made things a bit simpler to start with and also gave me "Ok Google" features.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Water Proofing: No doubting its a cool and sometimes handy feature. I took it n the shower last night.. I will admit to that.. thinking it would be handy to skip songs.. How quickly i learnt this wasnt as easy as I had thought.. You see the phone sees water droplets as finger presses. So all hell broke loose when the water starting hitting the screen! Turning teh screen off fixed that issue, so I could still have the music playing.. but yeah.. my suggestion is probably not attempt to text people in the shower! In the pool will hopefully be a different situation as Im expecting the full body of water to have a different effect.. Just waiting on a warm day to try that out but!</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I still have a lot to play with and discuss.. &nbsp; I did try out the PS4 remote play.. I will hold judgement on that for a bit.. I was struggling with WIfi last night so Im going to try and tinker that before I comment again.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>If yo have any questions or requests let me know and I will give them a crack for you.&nbsp;</P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:05:13 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397191#M356Annirowe2014-11-20T00:05:13ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397198#M357
<P>Thanks for the great start <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;!</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Interesting that you weren't too impressed with all the software that came with the phone - I actually really liked that aspect as I felt like it took the thinking out of setting up. I guess it depends how lazy/skilled you are in personalising your apps.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Looking forward to seeing some snaps - have you played with the camera yet?</P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:36:37 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397198#M357katroberts2014-11-20T00:36:37ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397200#M358
How doors it feel in the hand?<BR />How does it take action shots (eg sorts)?<BR />What is the battery life like in real world use?<BR />How is the signal quality cbd vs country?<BR />What bloat ware is pre installed and how much of the internal memory is leftover for the user?<BR /><BR />Thanks in advance guys.Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:52:26 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397200#M358Tech-nut2014-11-20T00:52:26ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397213#M359
<P><SPAN><EM>How doors it feel in the hand?</EM> NIce... Like I said getting used to a bigger device, but the weight is about right.</SPAN></P><P><BR /><SPAN><EM>How does it take action shots (eg sorts)?</EM> Havent really got into the camera yet.. The tests i did last night were low light and werent the best.. but I willcome back to later.</SPAN></P><P><BR /><SPAN><EM>What is the battery life like in real world use?</EM> Fully charged at 6am, now at 72%</SPAN></P><P><BR /><SPAN><EM>How is the signal quality cbd vs country?</EM> Im in the suburbs of Melbourne.. My house sits in a weird pocket.. My iphone only has 1 - 2 bars.. Same for this phone.&nbsp;</SPAN></P><P><BR /><SPAN><EM>What bloat ware is pre installed and how much of the internal memory is leftover for the user?</EM>I think I saw about 9GB yesterday before I started playing around... There is Sony's Launcher.. Then their walkman app, Navigon Navigator, AVG, Kobo, Officesuite, plus a few other sony software packages..&nbsp;</SPAN></P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:41:42 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397213#M359Annirowe2014-11-20T01:41:42ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397222#M360
<P>Well I hope Telstra wasn't hoping for a positive review when they gave you the phone haha.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I have a challenge for your next review: try starting a paragraph without the words "No doubting". No doubting you will struggle <img id="smileywink" class="emoticon emoticon-smileywink" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" alt="Smiley Wink" title="Smiley Wink" /></P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 02:16:55 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397222#M360Norton_San2014-11-20T02:16:55ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397233#M361
I'm having doubts I will struggle!!!!<BR /><BR />Wow! Maybe I should proof read next time!Thu, 20 Nov 2014 02:46:20 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397233#M361Annirowe2014-11-20T02:46:20ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397257#M362
<P>I only received my device this morning, so these are my first impressions and over the next few weeks I'll be back with more in-depth answers to questions.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I should also start by saying that for a number of year I've been in the iOS ecosystem. I have been using a Windows Phone 8 device for the past couple of weeks to get an idea of the other major OS as well.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>As has already been stated, the box does feel a little bit flimsy, but in the end you want to get the device out and start playing with it more than admiring the packaging it comes in.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Box Outside:</P><P><IMG border="0" title="photo 1.JPG" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11414i8ACB6AEF90A241B1/image-size/medium?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="photo 1.JPG" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>The Z3 includes more pamhplets than any other phone I've ever owned:</P><P><IMG border="0" title="photo 3.JPG" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11415i54F370182BC03E4D/image-size/medium?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="photo 3.JPG" /></P><P>It comes with a charger, cable, headphones and a USB to Micro-USB adaptor, the pamphlets and a postage paid bag to recycle your old phone.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>The charging port is on the left hand side behind a flap, the same side as the magnetic charging connector. It's easy to get to but personally I find side-mounted charging ports to be less comfortable if you happen to be using the phone while it's on charge.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I put the phone on charge and headed down to my local Telstra store to perform a SIM swap onto a Nano SIM. The plastic SIM tray doesn't hold the SIM tightly and you have to turn the phone upside down to orientate it correctly to insert the tray. This took me a few goes because the SIM kept popping out as I tried to insert the tray and jamming. Make sure you have someone with nails nearby to help.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I have read people on the internet complaining that the water/dust covers over the various ports stick out of the side of the handset. I can say that this isn't the case with mine. The power/wake button, volume rocker and hardware camera button (needed for underwater shooting) do, by necessity, stick out a small amount though on the right-hand side.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>The phone comes with 16GB of overall storage, and out of the box you have around 10GB of that free.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>As for bloatware, it does come with over 60 apps already installed on the device! A lot of these appear to be Sony specific apps, such as their own Walkman music app. Some are Google apps, others are Sony apps. The downside to this being you have to use both Google Play and the Experia Update Centre to keep your apps up-to-date.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Some of the pre-loaded app highlights for me are:</P><P>&nbsp;</P><UL><LI><SPAN style="line-height: 15px;">An Xperia branded version of Navigon by Garmin with offline map downloads which is good if you don't already have a GPS app on your phone. I've previously been using MetroView on iOS (also available on Android).</SPAN></LI><LI><SPAN style="line-height: 15px;">Xperia Lounge - This has various offer and information regarding Xperia handsets. The most interesting current offer (until Jan 2015) is a coupon code to add the full first season of the TV show The Blacklist (SD &amp; HD) to your Sony Media collection - to keep. However this lives in the Videos Unlimited app (or you can download to your computer via the website), once again meaning you need Google Play Movies and this app to keep across all your content.</SPAN></LI><LI><SPAN style="line-height: 15px;">TrackID - Shazaam clone. I like how when identifying a song it linked in with Spotify to offer to play it straight away.</SPAN></LI></UL><P><SPAN style="line-height: 15px;">I had no issues transferring my contacts onto the phone. I was able to back them up from my iPhone to Google/GMAIL and download them to my phone with minimal fuss, and with the link to Facebook it can also download all your Facebook contacts.</SPAN></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><SPAN style="line-height: 15px;">I then cleared out the various homescreens and began downloading apps that are important to me: Clash of Clans, Facebook/Messenger, Viber, Spotify, Telstra 24x7, Skype, Banking and Government apps, and various games. The Telstra billing option (as a prepaid customer) is a great boon as I am now able to get double value from my recharge. As a mobile service, and also to purchase content via the Z3, though this isn't specific to this device.</SPAN></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to widgets! I have Hangouts, Facebook, TrackID, Spotify, Telstra 24x7, and Weather already and I am loving it. I never really understood what I was missing until now. Having access to information and app controls without even having to change into an app is fantastic and something that iOS is lacking even to this day.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So far all the apps have been snappy in their responsiveness and there doesn't appear to be any lag when changing between screens in the OS itself. I am enjoying how things are made simple, for example when a message comes through on Viber it pops up over what I was doing, where I am able to type and send a response without ever changing away from what I was doing.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I live in central QLD, and even though my iPhone would have no issues obtaining 3 bars+ of signal, the Z3 has been sitting at 1 bar all day. I am lucky enough that we have access to 4G at home, however I think the overall signal strength may be impacting the data throughput.</P><P><IMG border="0" title="1051005841.png" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11416i7E73CE031FB489C6/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="1051005841.png" /></P><P>I'll perform some more tests during the review period in various locations.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I know there are a lot of questions surrounding battery life and the camera. I'm going to give it a few cycles before I really comment on the battery life, especially as day one has a lot more usage than normal. With regards to the camera, I am going to be heading out tomorrow and I'll take a variety of shots with both this and my old iPhone 5 to compare.</P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 04:19:23 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397257#M362Kalak2014-11-20T04:19:23ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397403#M363
Great work guys. Kalek in particular answered several of my questions with his review post.<BR /><BR />Are any of the Sony apps any good, or are you going to be downloading third party apps to use instead? Sounds like a lot of potentially unwanted stuff on your phone. In particular, would be interested in how their media consumption type apps work.<BR /><BR />Looking forward to seeing how you go with the camera. In particular, whether it's easy to use and fast in the draw. Not as interested in whether I can take a beautiful macro shot of a flower as I am of whether it will let me take a picture of the kids while they're doing that cute thing, rather than two seconds later when they've stopped.<BR /><BR />Are you going to play with the water proofing? (I'd be so nervous doing that!)<BR />Thu, 20 Nov 2014 14:42:44 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397403#M363Aegnor2014-11-20T14:42:44ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397435#M364
<P><SPAN style="text-decoration: line-through;"></SPAN></P><P>Hi there Aegnor...</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>In response to the camera, The dedicated Camera button is a really handy feature.. Having kids myself we know there is only a split second before you miss the opportunity. As long as you know the orientation of the phone in your pocket (which can be hard as the front and back feel almost exactly the same), then you can already be holding the button down as you whip the phone out of your pocket, and it will be ready to shoot. It takes about 1 - 2 seconds from the moment you hold the button to teh time the phone is awake and ready to capture.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>As for the water proofing, As I said earlier, Yes its waterproof, and I will try it in the pool hopefully over the weekend, but in the shower I had issues as the screen associated water droplets as finger presses.&nbsp;</P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 22:28:57 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397435#M364Annirowe2014-11-20T22:28:57ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397461#M365
<P>That's to be expected from a capacitive touchscreen, because without special treatment, it cannot tell the difference between water and your finger as both conducts electricty. That is why sony includes a physical shutter button that allows you to capture footage under water. What I'd like to see is some night time shots, because the Z3 has such a high megapixel count, which means the pixels are very dense, thus limiting the size of each indivudual pixel. With good lighting during the day it works a charm, but the smaller pixels may result bad night time shots.&nbsp;</P>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 23:33:17 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397461#M365bill00142014-11-20T23:33:17ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397478#M366
<P><LI-USER uid="760982"></LI-USER>&nbsp;here you go... Just one shot I took.. It was of the Xmas Tree last night.. So it was probably a bit of a struggle (low light, bright lights) but you can definately see the noise in the darker areas.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;<IMG border="0" title="Xmas-Test.jpg" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11433i8FB4D04C54752777/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Xmas-Test.jpg" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>As for the screen in water.. A physical button is fine, but the water still activates onscreen functions when the water touches.. You cant turn off the screen as you have no physical viewfinder. So the shutter button gets activated.. it switches apps etc etc..</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Again let me try it fully submerged.. maybe then the screen &nbsp;will disable because it senses full water contact.&nbsp;</P>Fri, 21 Nov 2014 02:13:05 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397478#M366Annirowe2014-11-21T02:13:05ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397658#M367
<P>thats right. If the screen is completely submerged then the touchscreen will not respond at all, no "ghost touches" if you will. So if you leave the phone in the viewfinder then it should stay there and you can use the physical shutter button and shoot under water. btw, what is the ISO setting and the shutter speed for the shot? maybe 1600 at 1/4 of a second?</P>Fri, 21 Nov 2014 20:58:32 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397658#M367bill00142014-11-21T20:58:32ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397748#M368
<P>As it turns out the only way to completely lock the screen under water is to hold the shutter button down half way as if focussing, before submerging.. If your not doing that then the moment the water touches the screen it potentially starts taking photos, changing settings, even opening Notifications.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Also <LI-USER uid="760982"></LI-USER> the image details were as follows:&nbsp;ISO: 1600, f/2.0 Exposure 1/8</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Here is one pic from my crazy son underwater <img id="smileywink" class="emoticon emoticon-smileywink" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" alt="Smiley Wink" title="Smiley Wink" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="Under-Water.jpg" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11440i648E6250A156EF80/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Under-Water.jpg" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 08:39:37 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397748#M368Annirowe2014-11-22T08:39:37ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397778#M369
<P>ah, I see. It seems underwater photography still isn't quite there yet. this is a more broad and i guess subjective question, what is your opinion/thoughts on Sony's strategy of releasing flagship phones? Their current cycle is 6 months, meaning that every 6 month a new flagship is announced. The Z3 is marginally better than the Z2 released earlier this year,, would you recommend others to look at a z2 to save money or spend a bit more and get the z3?</P>Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:51:48 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397778#M369bill00142014-11-22T11:51:48ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397835#M370
<P>I can certainly confirm that the screen goes a little bit haywire with the smallest droplets of water. One thing that would be great would be a 'water' mode where it disabled the touch screen for a set period of time, allowing only shutter control via the dedicated button.<BR /><BR />On the screen. Quite frankly it's beautiful. There have been some comments regarding it having a lower resolution than other phones being released at the moment, however you don't notice. I feel the screen is just as good to look at as my iPhone5 Retina display. Colours are bright and vivid and it really is a pleasure to look at and use in this regard. It also works reasonably well outdoors without any brightness adjustment for me, though I've yet to find a phone which seems to respond to light changes as well as the iPhone.<BR /><BR />Now onto how it feels in the hand. For me, it is a little big and certainly not a one hand device. You do lose a small amount of the quoted screen size to the Android virtual buttons in some cases, however with apps and games that go fullscreen it has a 'drag from the top' to overlay the buttons so you don't always lose that screen real-estate.<BR /><BR />The biggest downside is that the glass appears to be coated with some magically enhanced version of teflon. I am forever catching this thing as it slides of seemingly flat surfaces. It turns any surface into an air hockey table! I'm wondering if the video that Tony Hawk did that had a fake hoverboard in fact had Z3's strapped to the underside! If you are going to buy this phone, get a cover of some sort or it will end in tears!<BR /><BR />I've found multi-tasking on the Z3 to be fantastic. The dedicated button makes it quick and easy to switch between open apps, close them one at a time with a simple swipe, or close them all with a single push. I haven't found that it has to reload a lot when switching between apps like an iPhone will do if you go between more than 2 or 3 different apps, which can be a boon.<BR /><BR />On it's bluetooth performance, it seems to be a little weird. My iPhone 5 paired quickly and easily with my Pioneer car stereo. The songs names etc and control work with an issue. With the Z3 it took me almost 15 minutes of mucking around just to get it to pair and the track details etc are never correct. There are times when I get in the car and it simply won't play through bluetooth, even though it assures me it's paired properly. I have to use the 'throw' feature of the phone to get it to send the music output to the head unit rather than through the built-in speakers.<BR /><BR />Now onto the in-built speakers. During normal use they are quite good, especially when you consider they have to go through a waterproof membrane. Having them spaced apart at either end of the device, and front facing, is great. It gives a slightly wider soundscape and directs the sound to you rather than out of the bottom of the device. If however you are planning on listening to music in the shower, be aware that the tiniest amount of water causes the speakers to instantly drop in volume and you'll be there trying to blow out the water droplets from the speaker ports.<BR /><BR /><LI-USER uid="760982"></LI-USER>- with regards to whether someone should just get a Z2 instead, unfortunately I have never used a Z2, nor really an Android device before the Z3. That being said I will be putting my iPhone5 on eBay shortly. With the Z3 being able to be picked up on a plan, or for around $660 outright I think it's a great purchase and people wouldn't be disappointed.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Onto battery life. After a full day of use which would see my iPhone throwing up 10% battery warnings, I'm seeing around 50% on the Z3. So it's certainly a significant increase in battery life, however I think it would be dangerous to try and get two full days use out of it. I think it's still a charge every night at home situation, however you can know that if you are at work during the day and heading for a long night out after, that the Z3 won't have you hunting for apower socket.</P>Sun, 23 Nov 2014 00:48:14 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/397835#M370Kalak2014-11-23T00:48:14ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398054#M371
<P>I have to laugh at <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp;in reference to his teflon coated screen comment!&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>There is seriously no kidding when he talks about the hoverboard.. It really has you thinking that the phone is elevated microns above the desk surface!</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>My mouse has more friction than this phone does!&nbsp;</P>Mon, 24 Nov 2014 04:04:39 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398054#M371Annirowe2014-11-24T04:04:39ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398082#M372
<P>On my Z2 there is a "water" mode of sorts.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>When you press the soft button that opens the current open applications there is what Sony calls "Small Apps" below the close all button. You can pre-configure these to be different apps such as timers, calculator etc. There is also one called "Touch Block", I would assume this would be on the Z3 as well as the Z2.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;<IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11454i3B1AE88A70CB6742/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="Screenshot_2014-11-24-15-49-18.jpg" width="245" height="436" title="Screenshot_2014-11-24-15-49-18.jpg" /></P><P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11455iE3B8858F8A31DB28/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="Screenshot_2014-11-24-15-49-29.jpg" width="249" height="443" title="Screenshot_2014-11-24-15-49-29.jpg" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>This gives you the option to lock the screen from being touched whilst still being on, the warning it gives you the following warning before the first use it even refers to using it in instances when the screen may get wet:-</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11447iE5DB9FF9C575CDDD/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="IMG_20141124_153342.JPG" width="255" height="343" title="IMG_20141124_153342.JPG" /></P>Mon, 24 Nov 2014 05:07:07 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398082#M372Mickb832014-11-24T05:07:07ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398084#M373
And there you go!<BR /><BR />Thanks for that! Would make it a lot easier now!Mon, 24 Nov 2014 05:10:21 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398084#M373Annirowe2014-11-24T05:10:21ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398108#M374
<P>hey <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;and <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp; a question from our Twitter community for you:</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><STRONG><EM>don’t you find it a bit too big to be practical?</EM></STRONG></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Putting my 10cents in, I did find it big as I'm used to a smaller phone. I would opt for the compact if I was going to commit to buying a Z3.</P>Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:54:02 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398108#M374katroberts2014-11-24T21:54:02ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398110#M375
<LI-USER uid="142901"></LI-USER><BR /><BR />I wouldn't say it's too big to be practical. Coming from a smaller iPhone 5 it did take a couple of days to get used to the size, it felt like I was holding my iPad up to my face every time I made a call. It is also a little large when picking it up from top to bottom (which is how I normally grab my phone off the table - when it hasn't already made it's way to the floor <img id="smileywink" class="emoticon emoticon-smileywink" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-wink.gif" alt="Smiley Wink" title="Smiley Wink" /> ) After a couple of days of use though I've quickly adjusted to it and find the larger screen a real advantage.<BR /><BR />It also fits fine in the front pocket of my jeans/shorts and side pocket of my cargos. It still sits nicely in the slot under my stereo in the car.<BR /><BR />For those with smaller hands the Compact would probably be more suitable though as you say. It is a very large phone.Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:26:16 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398110#M375Kalak2014-11-24T06:26:16ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398132#M376
<LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER> try adding your songs to a playlist for Bluetooth streaming to your car, I found this worked when streaming to mylink from nexus 5.<BR /><BR />Has anyone tried a 4k video yet, would like to know what size file for a one minute video?<BR /><BR />I would love to know if either of you would consider staying with android once the trial is over or will you be looking forward to returning to your iPhone?<BR /><BR />Both you and <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER> are doing a great job!Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:54:18 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398132#M376Tech-nut2014-11-24T06:54:18ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398163#M377
Please test this phone going through rain whilst secured to the handlebars of a motorcycle. After talking to so many riders there is an increasing trend to using phone on bike for data collection with apps, navigation and music.Mon, 24 Nov 2014 07:18:33 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398163#M377Bee_Sting2014-11-24T07:18:33ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398177#M378
<LI-USER uid="372559"></LI-USER> I use Spotify for my music so don't really have any flexibility in that regard.<BR /><BR />I just did a test. A 60 second video recorded in 4K took 403.3MB on my SD card. It does warn to use either internal memory or a minimum class 10 card and also warns that at any point the device may overheat and shut down.<BR /><BR />With regards to staying with Android, or the Z3 in particular, I can say that I won't be changing back to my iPhone, mainly because about 30 minutes ago it was sold and picked up <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" />Mon, 24 Nov 2014 07:57:33 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398177#M378Kalak2014-11-24T07:57:33ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398178#M379
<LI-USER uid="771595"></LI-USER> - Sadly for me your request falls outside what I'm able to do not owning a motorbike. I can say though that the GPS appears to lock on quite quickly when using the provided Navigon app.Mon, 24 Nov 2014 07:58:51 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398178#M379Kalak2014-11-24T07:58:51ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398179#M380
Great work by both reviewers. Really good insights.<BR /><BR />Couple more questions :<BR /><BR />What is the music player like? Being Sony, you'd kinda hope they would be bringing some class leading features here.<BR /><BR />And what is the user interface experience like, having had a bit of time to get used to it? Intuitive? Or fiddly/counter-intuitive?Mon, 24 Nov 2014 08:06:21 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398179#M380Aegnor2014-11-24T08:06:21ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398219#M381
<P><LI-USER uid="758541"></LI-USER>&nbsp;With regards to the music player, I tried the walkman app but I wasnt a fan.. I switched to Google Play and have been using that since. I liked the fact I could easily upload my itunes library to Google to stream on the phone (something that I do with iTunes in the cloud). Its not as efficent in my view as the Music app on the iPhone but its probably just something im used to. As for Sony bringing "World Class Features".. My opinion is I need an app that can play music... As quickly and efficently as possible.. The more overheads the more messy it gets.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I still find it hard to accept the Android interface.. I want to.. I honestly am trying to stay non judgemental .. But im finding it extremely difficult.. There may be a lot of features, and some which are pretty cool and handy.. But trying to get to them easily or intuitivly.. I would say no.. And its Android greatest failure.. Trying to pack too many features into it..&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Maybe Android 5.0 will be a lot cleaner, but right now its not working for me..&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Im actually finding myself using the phone less than I did with my iPhone... Partly because not quite all my apps are on this, but mainly because its more effort on Android..&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>In my opinion of course!&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>In response to the Twitter question.. Its definately different.. If you thought you stressed about dropping your phone before.. get ready for a whole new level of Drop Stress.... The issue with this phone is not only finding the right spot to balance the phone, but also trying to deal with how slippery this phone is! If your going to buy this phone.. grab yourself a rubber backed cover to create some friction.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Will I switch back to iPhone? Definately.. &nbsp;This isnt to say Sony has made a bad handset... Quite the opposite actually.. Apart for how slippery it is, I feel its quite good quality.. Its nice to look at.. Its a nice size.. But that software just isnt the quality I expect and that Im used to.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Over the next couple of days I will test the Sony off against the iPhone 6+ including camera quality. We will see how they stack up!</P><P>&nbsp;</P>Mon, 24 Nov 2014 10:15:37 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398219#M381Annirowe2014-11-24T10:15:37ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398620#M382
<LI-USER uid="142901"></LI-USER><BR /><BR />Why did you select two iphone users?<BR />Its good for a laugh, as one doesnt like the z3 much, the other loves it so much they sold their iphone.<BR />Tue, 25 Nov 2014 10:46:00 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398620#M382beetle842014-11-25T10:46:00ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398873#M383
<LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER><BR /><BR />How did the comparison go? Im keen to see how fast the z3 was in general use/ loading times for apps/ startup time compared to the 6+.<BR />Also, how is 'too many features' androids greatest failure? I see it as androids drawcard, that and the customisation/openness of the software.<BR /><BR /><BR /><BR /><BR /><BR /><BR /><BR />Wed, 26 Nov 2014 11:24:31 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/398873#M383beetle842014-11-26T11:24:31ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399012#M384
<LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER><BR />Any chance of some more reviewing?<BR /><LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER><BR />Do i have to go to whirlpool for your reviews?Thu, 27 Nov 2014 04:11:13 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399012#M384beetle842014-11-27T04:11:13ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399015#M385
<P>Hey <LI-USER uid="40002"></LI-USER>&nbsp;I chose them for their community contribution and enthusiasm. Are you an android or apple man?</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp;and <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;, loving your thoughts so far. would love to see some pics on your z3 and your usual phones to compare and contrast.</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>Thu, 27 Nov 2014 04:26:30 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399015#M385katroberts2014-11-27T04:26:30ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399017#M386
Hey @katroberts, im an android user, i found my last iphone (4s) pretty crap, and i dislike apples 'same phone for 10 years in a different looking frame' business strategy.Thu, 27 Nov 2014 04:35:25 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399017#M386beetle842014-11-27T04:35:25ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399039#M387
<P><LI-USER uid="40002"></LI-USER><BR /><BR />If you scroll up you'll see some quite in-depth posts by myself. As I am heading away for a family holiday tomorrow the past few days have been filled with finishing up work tasks, packing and confirming bookings. Unfortunately I haven't really had a spare moment to myself. Once I arrive tomorrow though I'll put up more thoughts, and pictures.<BR /><BR />If you have a specific question, then please feel free to ask it and I'll do my best to answer it.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Some posts that may interest you:</P><P><A href="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/397257#M596" target="_blank">http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/397257#M596</A></P><P><A href="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/397835#M604" target="_blank">http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/397835#M604</A></P><P><A href="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/398110#M609" target="_blank">http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/398110#M609</A></P><P><A href="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/398177#M612" target="_blank">http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Mobile-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Sony-Xperia-Z3-review/m-p/398177#M612</A></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>With regards to comments by&nbsp;<A href="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/261097" target="_blank"><LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER></A>&nbsp;I do have to agree with some of them. Android isn't as intuitive as iOS. Settings for apps, and the OS itself can be difficult to track down. It's also more difficult to uninstall apps for example, coming from Long-Press, X in iOS.</P>Thu, 27 Nov 2014 05:49:40 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399039#M387Kalak2014-11-27T05:49:40ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399060#M388
It can be irritating in SOME android handsets when they install a lot of bloatware that doesn't add anything to your experience, or when the handset maker loads a heap of apps that duplicate the basic Android apps. i'm an Android convert, but ioS still for me has the advantage in simple intuitive use in several respects.Thu, 27 Nov 2014 07:51:26 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399060#M388Aegnor2014-11-27T07:51:26ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399072#M389
<LI-USER uid="40002"></LI-USER> sorry mate. No point making comments without a fair comparison. So just giving it time to settle in with both at the same time.<BR /><BR />I will put some comparison pics up later, but until then I will make some comments on the battery life.<BR /><BR />Unplugging the Sony at 6am, I still had about 20% left at about 10pm that night. I never used any of the power saving features because it starts shutting network features etc down, and to be honest I buy these phones for that sort of stuff.<BR /><BR />I am a heavy user. My phone is always on and always being used be it for work or pleasure. My iPhone 5 would be at about 30% by lunchtime during the week. They Sony was probably around 90%. Comparing this to the iPhone 6+ the Sony definitely wins. I'm at about 80% at the same time.<BR /><BR />I have to say, I think apples failure here is with iMessage. If I didn't use it im sure the battery would be up with the Sony.<BR /><BR />I will try and record a start up vid tonight as well, but given Telstra has some extra branding on the Sony, that may slow it down a bit more.<BR /><BR />Another comment against the Sony.... The keyboard. Maybe it's just me but the spell check was doing my head in. It kept giving me the wrong words. I would get full stops in the middle of everything. I'm not sure what it as but I'm sitting here typing this on the iPhone and I can blindly type and almost get it perfect. I had to concentrate too much with the Sony. But I feel that's an android issue. Not the phone.<BR /><BR />Thu, 27 Nov 2014 08:30:46 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399072#M389Annirowe2014-11-27T08:30:46ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399077#M390
<LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER><BR /><BR />The keyboard is a sony issue as its their own, not googles.<BR />Try downloading swiftkey keyboard or google keyboard from the playstore.<BR />I have a z2 and i have the lg g3 keyboard (rooted devices only) as its height adjustable. My pudgy fingers ALWAYS hit the wrong keys with the sony one, so being able to adjust the height is awesome because it makes the keys so much larger.<BR />As for the power saving features, you can choose to keep mobile data and wifi on and only close background apps.Thu, 27 Nov 2014 08:39:21 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399077#M390beetle842014-11-27T08:39:21ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399092#M391
And here in lies the problem. Why should I have to spend soooo much time trying to find something that works for me? Can't I just turn it on and have the basics just work well?<BR /><BR />When this review period is up I will look into how to put vanilla android 5 and start from scratch. Clear away all the after market stuff and just go back to basics on it.<BR /><BR />Appreciate all your suggestions. Remember these are just my opinions and the way I feel about these devices. I am trying my hardest to accept the device, and as I said earlier. The hardware is pretty good for most parts. But yeah. That software. Hmmm. And reading about android 5, it seems I'm maybe not the only one.<BR /><BR />Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:30:13 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399092#M391Annirowe2014-11-27T09:30:13ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399097#M392
The basics do work well, in my opinion (and thats all it is, dont take this to heart) an iphone is locked in as far as keyboards, browsers, messaging apps, everything really, as far as apple is concerned, its take it or leave it, or jailbreak it. Where as android is more for the person who likes to choose what works best for them.<BR />Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:41:02 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399097#M392beetle842014-11-27T09:41:02ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399108#M393
Hehe. No offence taken. Prefer a constructive conversation Over a iPhone vs android argument.Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:37:10 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399108#M393Annirowe2014-11-27T10:37:10ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399280#M394
Well, the Z3 is getting a giant fail from me.<BR /><BR />I arrived at my holiday destination and my screen is non-responsive. It refuses to register any touches at all. A hard reboot with power and volume up does nothing. It still allows photos to be taken via the hardware button launching the app, but that's it. It's not even useful as a paperweight because it slides off everything. So my only form of contact while on holiday is now gone. Many choice words regarding this device are in my head, and coming out of my mouth.<BR /><BR />If you get a chance, don't buy this phone. After a quick google search it appears this isn't an issue that I am experiencing in isolation.Fri, 28 Nov 2014 08:05:02 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399280#M394Kalak2014-11-28T08:05:02ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399318#M395
<P>Ok young fella, just settle down there and stop . You said you did the vol up and power button and it didn't work. Did you hold it long enough so that the phone vibrated about 3 times.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>If that's not working, try this.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Take a look under the cover for the micro SD and nano SIM card holder., you should see a little yellow button. Press the button with the tip of a pencil or a similar object and hold it down for 5-10 seconds. After a series of quick vibrations, release the restart button.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>.Then turn on the phone in the regular way by pressing the power/unlock button. After the restart all settings and personal data such as contacts, music, photos and other files will stay intact.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="Signature.gif" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11275i9E71C0C2AEF92C86/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="Signature.gif" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11544i8C911C32A07EADFB/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" border="0" alt="Sony-Xperia-Z3-reset.jpg" width="417" height="313" title="Sony-Xperia-Z3-reset.jpg" /></P>Fri, 28 Nov 2014 12:35:50 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399318#M395DEANJA2014-11-28T12:35:50ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399359#M396
Hi Jeff. Yep, the power + volume works, 3 vibrations and it turns off.<BR />Tried the yellow button under the cover, on the Z3 it's labelled OFF. It does indeed turn the phone off, but regardless of the length of time I hold it in, it does not perform a hard reset. It just causes a bunch of triple vibrations.<BR /><BR />I also tried the holding both volume buttons down when turning on, again no impact. I can get it to boot into Safe Mode, but that doesn't do anything either.<BR /><BR />I should note that according to page 133 of the user manual, the button is now simply a force off button. It does not perform a factory reset. The ONLY instructions to perform this involved the use of the screen, which is made somewhat difficult by the fact that the screen is what the issue is.<BR /><BR />Perhaps in a weeks time when my holiday is finished I can return home and try resetting it via a downloadable PC applications, but that does me no good now.<BR /><BR />I should also note, that I have been foiled by my own use of secure two factor authentication. Aside from crowd support and a single email address, ever other form of contact including Facebook and a number of email addresses require two factor authentication. Facebook for example requires the code generator from the app, or my home computer. Oh and my banking for the money I need for the holiday, you guessed it, SMS security. So I guess I'll be forced to buy another phone. Ridiculous.<BR /><BR />With my iPhone, I'm half an hour drive from an apple store here, I'd head in to a Genius and head out with a refurb device shortly after. I bet it won't be the same experience with this device. Thinking I made a big mistake getting rid of my iPhone.Fri, 28 Nov 2014 21:11:36 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399359#M396Kalak2014-11-28T21:11:36ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399364#M397
I doubt a factory reset will help <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER><BR />Turn the phone off, wait a few seconds and turnnit back on.<BR />When the led turns pink, or whatever colour it goes now, press volume up e few times to enter the recovery menu (if vol up doesnt work try vol down) from there you use the volune buttons for up or down and the power button for enter.<BR />You will findb the factory reset setting there.Fri, 28 Nov 2014 22:00:55 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399364#M397beetle842014-11-28T22:00:55ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399365#M398
Please excuse the typos, 8am saturday and im still half asleepFri, 28 Nov 2014 22:01:55 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399365#M398beetle842014-11-28T22:01:55ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399368#M399
Also check the screen for a hairline crack, most of the reports of unresponsive screens on the net also have a crack to go with it.<BR />Fri, 28 Nov 2014 22:22:25 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399368#M399beetle842014-11-28T22:22:25ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399372#M400
I also tried the volume up button on boot. Best case it will occasionally boot into Safe Mode, however no recovery meny ever appears.<BR />&amp;nbsp;<BR />I also can't see any crack, hairline or otherwise. I also wouldn't think one would develop while sitting in the cup holder of my car for 6 hours. Then again, who knows with this phone.<BR />&amp;nbsp;<BR />One thing I have noticed is that previously with the screen on, when it was tilted in the light I could see vertical rows of rainbow coloured (holographic style) dots, which I assume was the sensor. Now with the screen active and tilting it, I can see no such rows on the screen.<BR /><BR />EDIT: I should also point out there is NO LED activity at all during the boot process. The screen starts with the Xperia Logo, then an Android Logo, a purple Wave screen, multi-coloured Telstra logos then the device is booted and ready to not be used. There is no flashing of the LED in the corner at any point, despite what some online sites may say. These sites also suggest the yellow button is a reset button when on the Z3 it's simply a hard power off. So there may have been some changes between the Z1/Z2 and the Z3 which people are assuming things from previous models which in fact do not operate the same with the Z3.Fri, 28 Nov 2014 23:14:29 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399372#M400Kalak2014-11-28T23:14:29ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399400#M401
<LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER> ignore my comments regarding recoverySat, 29 Nov 2014 00:37:33 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399400#M401beetle842014-11-29T00:37:33ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399741#M402
<P><LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp;obviously this is a big disappointment and we'll do our best to get this sorted for you. Thanks for your honesty</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P><LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;hopefully you re having no issues with the phone? Now you've spent a bit of time with the phone, what are your latest thoughts?</P>Sun, 30 Nov 2014 23:02:11 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399741#M402katroberts2014-11-30T23:02:11ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399856#M403
<P>Well I definately have had any issues like <LI-USER uid="52"></LI-USER>&nbsp;has experienced.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>My Sony is still working...&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I have a few pics to share of the tests I did I planned on uploading them tonight. In the meantime here is just one sample of the pics I took. They were taken of the same subject at almost the same distance (The cat came and knocked poor Santa over so he isnt in the exact same position in each photo).&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Sony Z3:</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="santa---sony.jpg" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11568iDA23B1393A1D1C9F/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="santa---sony.jpg" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>iPhone 6+</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><IMG border="0" title="santa---iphone.jpg" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/11569i5B5537529AC9A3E4/image-size/original?v=mpbl-1&amp;px=-1" alt="santa---iphone.jpg" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>You can see just from these two photos how superior the iPhone camera is over the Sony. The white balance is almost pefect on the iPhone, while the Sony has a significant blue hue to it. I also found that looking at the photos on the phone there was a significant difference to the image. Where on the iphone they almost matched on screen as they did on computer and indeed real life.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Tonight I will upload the low light pics, where even though the camera has progressed in terms of previous models and phones, it is still no match for the iPhone 6+.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P>Mon, 01 Dec 2014 04:03:05 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399856#M403Annirowe2014-12-01T04:03:05ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399881#M404
While the quality, particularly in the unfocused areas, is better on the iPhone, your Z3 is still taking better pictures than mine LOL <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" />Mon, 01 Dec 2014 05:19:44 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399881#M404Kalak2014-12-01T05:19:44ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399944#M405
Hahaha!! You have to just imagine your photos.Mon, 01 Dec 2014 08:25:43 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/399944#M405Annirowe2014-12-01T08:25:43ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400294#M406
<P>Looks great <LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER>&nbsp;!</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Some final questions to wrap up please (I know you've kind of covered this but a sum up would be great)</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<UL>
<LI>What do you consider to be the overall pros and cons of the phone?</LI>
<LI>What would you change about the phone?</LI>
<LI>Will it be replacing your usual handset?</LI>
</UL>
<P>&nbsp;</P>Tue, 02 Dec 2014 22:49:06 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400294#M406katroberts2014-12-02T22:49:06ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400304#M407
Pros:<BR />Large vivid screen<BR />Water resistance<BR />Front facing speakers<BR />General Android flexibility including widgets<BR /><BR />Cons:<BR />For some it may simply be too big. The Compact version might suit more people.<BR />The screen issues which appear widespread however Sony have a head in the sand attitude. A simple Googlr search or read of the Whirlpool thread shows this.<BR /><BR />What would I change:<BR />Durability. Any device that can't survive sitting in a cup holder in an air conditioned car needs some work.<BR />Charging port location to the bottom of the phone rather than the side.<BR />Other than those two things it's quite a good device.<BR /><BR />Will it be replacing my usual handset:<BR />It had, before it died. However with this durability issue and the potential long turnaround time for assessment and repair I will most likely be purchasing a different phone instead of using the Z3 full-time going forward.<BR /><BR /><BR />Tue, 02 Dec 2014 23:22:44 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400304#M407Kalak2014-12-02T23:22:44ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400519#M408
<P>Okay so over the last couple of weeks I have had the pleasure of using the Sony Z3..... a phone that along with its previous versions, has always had me wondering if the grass was greener on the other side.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So thanks to Telstra I got to sample life over the fence and put this device through its tests. It an was interesting experience. There were moments of intrigue, moments of "oh wow thats handy" and other moments of "Why??? Why would you do that!!".&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Prior to the iPhone 3G I had many different phones. From Alcatel, to Nokia, onto iMate's and even a Sony. But from the moment the iPhone appeared I found it to be the holy grail. It did everything I needed. It was stable.. Secure.. Efficient and intelligent. But hey.. there must be something better out there... isnt there?? So I convinced myself to go into this with an open mind. Live with it as if I didnt own an iPhone.. and see how content I was using it day to day.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So here we go:&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><U><STRONG>Pro's</STRONG></U></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Quality:</EM> In the hand, this is a very well made phone. It feels solid.. secure.. and generally feels well built.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Camera Button:</EM> A quick and easy way of getting to the camera.. start pressing it while your bringing it out of your pocket and technically its instantly ready to shoot.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Water Proofing:</EM> There is no denying this is a handy feature. While I strugged with its actual usability, for accidental spills and submersions its fantastic.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Remote Play:</EM> Okay this was a cool feature. The ability to play PS4 on teh phone in another room was pretty cool.. just a couple of caveats to that however.. Your Wifi needs to be up to scrath in terms of speed, and connection quality needs to be A+ or else your stuck with lag and quality degradation. Also I found it difficult to find a comfortable position to play like this.. You really need the extra holder that clips onto phone and controller.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><U><STRONG>Con's</STRONG></U></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Water Proofing:&nbsp;</EM>Yep.. I know I just put it above, but it has to fall here too! While its a fantastic feature, the usability of it is some what troublesome. Firstly water droplets are recognised on the screen as finger presses.. So all hell breaks loose when water touches the screen. I had it making calls, skipping songs etc.. Wasnt enjoyable. Thanks to <LI-USER uid="13337"></LI-USER>&nbsp;he pointed out a screen block mode that disable touch inputs. Activating that helped solve the issue, but to me, for such a heavily advertised feature, I just felt activating the mode was <SPAN>cumbersome</SPAN>. A simple switch or button to activate Waterproof mode would be handy.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Charging Port:</EM> &nbsp;@Kalak was right when commenting on the port.. Its in a weird spot.. On teh side of the phone at the top of the screen. It makes no sense to me.. Gravity comes into play and the weight of the cable pulls the phone sideways in a car cradle. It would take me two hands (one holding the phone one holding the cable) to both plug it in and take it out.. This was frustrating. Also No matter what iPhone I have had, I have always been able to put the cord into the phone without looking at it.. You can do it blind just by feel. But with this phone you have to pay attention... and carefully insert the cable.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Android:</EM> I tried my hardest... I really did.. I wanted android to work. I wanted it to be cool and give me all these exciting new features. But for me... it came up short.. As discussed in previous Posts, as a new comer&nbsp;to Android, it was just too overwhelming. Sony has dumped all these extra programs on, doubling up on already installed default apps. Customisation is a fantastic thing, but when given too much control it becomes mayhem.. and this is what I felt this was. Hopefully Android 5 helps to fix some of these issues.&nbsp;</P><P><EM>Texture:</EM> This is one slippery little sucker.. The glass front and back make living with this phone a stressful event.. Super glue or a rubber band around your wrist may help here!&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>So in Summary what would I change?&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><UL><LI>Not so slippery</LI><LI>Just the Basic Software. Feel free to point me to the Sony Software, but let me build from a simple base.&nbsp;</LI><LI>An easy way to access a waterproof mode.&nbsp;</LI><LI>Relocate the charging port.&nbsp;</LI></UL><P>Will I be replacing my usual Handset.. Well yes I did actually.. But not with this handset... This experience&nbsp;just reassured me that iPhone is a superior phone and Platform. So much so I went and got an iPhone 6+.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank @katroberts and all the team at @Telstra. This program is a fantastic opportunity to try out something new and I have really enjoyed my time doing it.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>If anyone has any other questions feel free to ask and I will endevour to answer either on here or via my twitter @annirowe.&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P>Wed, 03 Dec 2014 10:33:27 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400519#M408Annirowe2014-12-03T10:33:27ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400695#M410
Looks like a fun dimension for a phone camera to be able to take photos underwater - nice work <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" />Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:14:15 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400695#M410polarwarp2014-12-04T05:14:15ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400701#M411
<P>I might be posting this a bit late sorry <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P><LI-USER uid="261097"></LI-USER> did you&nbsp;end up trying different keyboards?&nbsp; ie. that you can download different keyboards from companies and change the input to that?&nbsp; I find on the z1 compact the keyboard input is forever confusing what word I've entered and would often break up words into multiple even though I'm highly confident I hadn't lifted my finger from the screen.&nbsp; I had been hoping that it would be fixed in the z3 but sounds like it hasn't.&nbsp; Also do you get full functionality when controlling your ps4?&nbsp; Would it make a good dvd remote?</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Were there any outside nighttime shots taken?&nbsp; Maybe I missed them but there didn't appear to be too many photos posted.&nbsp; Do they still have the dinosaur mode? <img id="smileyhappy" class="emoticon emoticon-smileyhappy" src="https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" alt="Smiley Happy" title="Smiley Happy" /></P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Thanks!</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>&nbsp;</P>Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:27:18 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/400701#M411polarwarp2014-12-04T05:27:18ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/401476#M413
<P>Well what can be said about this review except to say what a joke.</P><P>From the very first it was clear that two apple fan boys had a mindset and that would be it, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.</P><P>Yes I have a Sony Z3 and I have to say that I can’t fault it technically or performance wise. Yes you need to be a little more careful with the glass casing and it’s not a phone that you would recommend for a builder or brick-layer.</P><P>I find it amazing that anyone would race out and sell their current phone as they unwrapped this gift from Telstra before they had really found out if it would suit them. Then to hit out at Telstra because the phone had some problems both here and on other forums in the manner that they have is very immature. What they are saying is that this is the first phone that within days has developed a fault, well maybe they should be a little more widely read before blaming Telstra and Sony as there are reports of various phones including apple phones that are DOA. This isn’t a first and won’t be the last. I’m sure that Telstra staff would have raced to assist the reviewer in an instance, but to lash out on various forums the way they have, well shows to my way of thinking a bad lack in judgement.</P><P>Previous reviews of different phones make this look like a sick comedy.</P><P>I’m an old crowd support user reader for years and this really disappoints.&nbsp;</P>Mon, 08 Dec 2014 00:24:01 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/401476#M413Donaldo22014-12-08T00:24:01ZRe: Mobile Insider - Sony Xperia Z3 reviewhttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/401543#M414
<P>Sorry you feel that way <LI-USER uid="783627"></LI-USER>&nbsp;You can certainly take the time to put forth your own request to join the program during the next round, especially if you feel you could do better.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I personally resent the term fanboy. I happened to use a iPhone prior to the Z3, however this in no way makes me a fanboy. Am I a fan of their after sales support, certainly, and I've availed myself of it in the past.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Prior to it dying inexplicably, I couldn't really fault the devices performance either, which was reflected in my comments. As a Z3 owner, you would be very aware of how slippery the back of the device is, so it's no surprise we both commented on that.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I didn't sell my phone as soon as I unwrapped the Z3. I trialled it in a variety of situations and quite frankly very much enjoyed using it, so much so I didn't feel the need to keep my old iP5. It did everything my iP5 did, and more, until it died.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Also, I never 'hit out' at Telstra, I did however have a go at the device itself. Sure there are others who have DOA/ELF for phone from many brands, and those with a Z3 who don't, but this was entirely about my experience and my feelings towards the device. Not some generalisation based on statistics.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>With regards to Telstra racing to assist, I emailed them on Friday. On Monday I received a quick return email advising that they were sorry and tried to call me (which was not able to be received due to the phone not working). Then nothing until last Friday when I called to follow-up myself. As yet I have not received the paperwork needed to have the device looked at and it's still just sitting on the counter doing nothing. Not exactly racing, but not that I blame Kat (or others invovled in the program). They have others things to manage aside from a single device Insider.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>I would love to have given it a real run in it's 2nd week, particularly in regards to navigation and photography while on the Sunshine Coast, but alas it wasn't to be.</P><P>&nbsp;</P><P>Also, if you had specific suggestions or questions, then may I suggest to you that you could have posted them during the review period as others did and where possible information could have been provided.</P>Mon, 08 Dec 2014 03:30:45 GMThttps://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/device-insider/mobile-insider-sony-xperia-z3-review/m-p/401543#M414Kalak2014-12-08T03:30:45Z